Would A Joint Development Of Thameslink And The Elizabeth Line Be A Cost-Effective Way To Improve London’s Rail Network?
The operation of Thameslink and The Elizabeth Line are more similar than many people think.
- Both have a central tunnel.
- On the Elizabeth Line, the central tunnel is between Paddington and Whitechapel stations, which always takes thirteen minutes.
- Trains on the Elizabeth Line run five minutes apart.
- On Thameslink, the central tunnel is between St. Pancras International and London Blackfriars stations, which always takes nine minutes.
- Trains on Thameslink run 3-4 minutes apart.
- There are no branches in the central tunnels.
- No other regular train services run through the central tunnels.
- Trains appear to be controlled very accurately to the timetable.
- Each train on both lines seems to take a similar time through their central tunnel.
I am by training a Control Engineer and this is not surprising, as if you want to get the most number of trains down a tunnel, they should all take the same time and be equally spaced.
- As there are twelve trains per hour (tph) on the Elizabeth Line, the five minute interval is to be expected.
- As there are twenty tph on Thameslink, the 3-4 minute interval is to be expected.
It should be noted that the Victoria Line was fully opened in 1971.
- It has a single central tunnel with no branches.
- The line is used exclusively by Victoria Line trains.
But when new faster trains and automatic train control (ATO) were introduced, it enabled the train frequency to be increased from 27 to 33 tph.
By comparison to the Victoria Line, I believe that increased frequencies of trains through Thameslink and The Elizabeth Line should be possible.
The Elizabeth Line Frequency
The Wikipedia entry for the Elizabeth Line gives a central tunnel frequency of 24 tph, consisting of the following services.
- 12 tph – Shenfield and Paddington
- , 6 tph – Abbey Wood and Heathrow
- 6 tph – Abbey Wood and either Reading or Maidenhead
Note, in Extending The Elizabeth Line – High Speed Trains On The Elizabeth Line, I said this.
Because of the current track layout at Abbey Wood, I believe that without track modifications, Abbey Wood station will not be able to handle more than 12 tph.
So will Abbey Wood be restricted to 12 tph for some years?
It does appear to me, that to increase the frequency through the Elizabeth Line’s central tunnel, there will need to be services to new destinations in both the East and the West.
Various destinations have been suggested for the Elizabeth Line.
- Northfleet, Gravesend and possibly Hoo for Chatham.
- Billericay, Southend Airport and Southend Victoria.
- Tring and Milton Keynes
- Staines
I would also add.
- Chelmsford and the new station at Beaulieu.
- Didcot, Oxford and possibly Swindon.
There are a lot of possibilities.
The Thameslink Frequency
The Wikipedia entry for the Thameslink gives a central tunnel frequency of 20 tph, consisting of the following services.
- 2 tph – Cambridge and Brighton
- 2 tph – Cambridge and Maidstone East
- 2 tph – Peterborough and Horsham
- 2 tph – Bedford and Brighton
- 2 tph – Bedford and Gatwick Airport via Redhill
- 2 tph – Luton and Rainham via Greenwich
- 2 tph – St Albans City and Sutton via Wimbledon (loop)
- 2 tph – St Albans City and Sutton via Mitcham (loop)
- 2 tph – Kentish Town and Orpington via Catford
There are few suggestions for extra Thameslink services.
High Speed Trains On The Elizabeth Line
Some suggested destinations for the Elizabeth Line and some existing destinations for Thameslink are on high speed lines, that will be digitally-signalled in the next few years.
These destinations might be better served by an Elizabeth Line or Thameslink train with a better performance.
In Extending The Elizabeth Line – High Speed Trains On The Elizabeth Line, I explained my reasoning in detail.
Conclusion
A comprehensive survey needs to be carried out to identify what destinations should be added to the Elizabeth Line/Thameslink network.
Reasons for a new destination could possibly be employment, housing, leisure, tourism or other factors.
Significant Step Forward For Keadby 3 Carbon Capture Power Station
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from SSE.
These three paragraphs outline the project.
A landmark project in the Humber which could become the UK’s first power station equipped with carbon capture technology has taken a major leap forward following an announcement by the UK Government today.
Keadby 3 Carbon Capture Power Station, which is being jointly developed by SSE Thermal and Equinor, has been selected to be taken forward to the due diligence stage by the Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy (BEIS) as part of its Cluster Sequencing Process.
This process will give the project the opportunity to receive government support, allowing it to deploy cutting edge carbon capture technology, and to connect to the shared CO2 pipelines being developed through the East Coast Cluster, with its emissions safely stored under the Southern North Sea. The common infrastructure will also supply low-carbon hydrogen to potential users across the region.
The press release also says this about the power station.
- Keadby 3 power station could have a generating capacity of up to 910MW.
- It could be operational by 2027.
- It would capture up to one and a half million tonnes of CO2 a year.
It would provide low-carbon, flexible power to back-up renewable generation.
The H2H Saltend Project
The press release also says this about the H2H Saltend project.
Equinor’s H2H Saltend project, the ‘kick-starter’ for the wider Zero Carbon Humber ambition, has also been taken to the next stage of the process by BEIS. The planned hydrogen production facility could provide a hydrogen supply to Triton Power’s Saltend Power Station as well as other local industrial users. In June, SSE Thermal and Equinor entered into an agreement to acquire the Triton Power portfolio.
I wrote about H2H Saltend and the acquisition of Triton Power in SSE Thermal And Equinor To Acquire Triton Power In Acceleration Of Low-Carbon Ambitions.
In the related post, I added up all the power stations and wind farms, that are owned by SSE Thermal and it came to a massive 9.1 GW, which should all be available by 2027.
Collaboration Between SSE Thermal And Equinor
The press release also says this about collaboration between SSE Thermal and Equinor.
The two companies are also collaborating on major hydrogen projects in the Humber. Keadby Hydrogen Power Station could be one of the world’s first 100% hydrogen-fuelled power stations, while Aldbrough Hydrogen Storage could be one of the world’s largest hydrogen storage facilities. In addition, they are developing Peterhead Carbon Capture Power Station in Aberdeenshire, which would be a major contributor to decarbonising the Scottish Cluster.
This collaboration doesn’t lack ambition.
I also think, that there will expansion of their ambitions.
Horticulture
Lincolnshire is about horticulture and it is a generally flat county, which makes it ideal for greenhouses.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a large acreage of greenhouses built close to the Humber carbon dioxide system, so that flowers, salad vegetables, soft fruit, tomatoes and other plants can be grown to absorb the carbon dioxide.
It should also be noted that one of the ingredients of Quorn is carbon dioxide from a fertiliser plant, that also feeds a large tomato greenhouse.
We would have our carbon dioxide and eat it.
Other Uses Of Carbon Dioxide
Storing carbon dioxide in depleted gas fields in the North Sea will probably work, but it’s a bit like putting your rubbish in the shed.
Eventually, you run out of space.
The idea I like comes from an Australian company called Mineral Carbonation International.
- I wrote about their success at COP26 in Mineral Carbonation International Win COP26 Clean Energy Pitch Battle.
- The company has developed the technology to convert carbon dioxide into building products like blocks and plasterboard.
- Their mission is to remove a billion tonnes of CO2 by 2040 safely and permanently.
We would have our carbon dioxide and live in it.
I also think other major uses will be developed.
A Large Battery
There is the hydrogen storage at Aldbrough, but that is indirect energy storage.
There needs to be a large battery to smooth everything out.
In Highview Power’s Second Commercial System In Yorkshire, I talk about Highview Power’s proposal for a 200MW/2.5GWh CRYOBattery.
This technology would be ideal, as would several other technologies.
Conclusion
Humberside will get a giant zero-carbon power station.
What Goes Up Must Come Down
This morning, I went for a walk in the City, with the aim of looking at progress on the new Southern entrance to Bank station.
I took these pictures, where they were dismantling the main crane on the Bank station site.
Does this dismantling mean that the main work is coming to an end?
One of the guys, I spoke to said that the station would be finished by the end of the year.
I also took this picture from the Northernmost cross tunnel between the two Northern Line platforms.
Note the Way Out sign behind the hoarding, which also shows Central Line straight on. This looks like it could be the start of the travelator to the Central Line.
Sizewell C Nuclear Plant Campaigners Challenge Approval
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These three paragraphs introduce the article.
Campaigners against the Sizewell C nuclear power station have written to Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng to legally challenge his decision to give the scheme the go-ahead.
The £20bn project for the Suffolk coast was given government approval in July.
However, the decision was against the advice of the Planning Inspectorate and those against the scheme said the consent was therefore “unlawful”.
I summed up my attitude to nuclear power in Sizewell C: Nuclear Power Station Plans For Suffolk Submitted, where I said this.
As a well-read and experienced engineer, I am not against the technologies of nuclear power.
But I do think, by the time it is completed , other technologies like wind and energy storage will be much better value. They will also be more flexible and easier to expand, should we get our energy forecasts wrong.
I wrote that in May 2020, which was before Vlad the Mad started his war in Ukraine. So our energy forecasts are totally wrong! Thanks for nothing, Vlad!
In Plan To Build £150m Green Hydrogen Plant At Felixstowe Port, I talked about ScottishPower’s plan to build a large electrolyser at Felixstowe.
The Port of Felixstowe has in the past talked of using electricity from Sizewell C to create hydrogen.
So is the port backing another horse or just playing safe?
Have We Enough LNG Carriers To Distribute The Natural Gas We Need?
I recently, asked this question of myself, as liquefied natural gas (LNG), now seems to be being moved all over the world.
Note, that the we in the title of this post, is a global we!
I stated by reading the Wikipedia entry for LNG Carrier.
This paragraph outlines the history of LNG carriers.
The first LNG carrier Methane Pioneer (5,034 DWT), classed by Bureau Veritas, left the Calcasieu River on the Louisiana Gulf coast on 25 January 1959. Carrying the world’s first ocean cargo of LNG, it sailed to the UK where the cargo was delivered. Subsequent expansion of that trade has brought on a large expansion of the fleet to today where giant LNG ships carrying up to 266,000 m3 (9,400,000 cu ft) are sailing worldwide.
The Methane Pioneer carried only 27,000 m3 of LNG.
Things have come a long way since the Methane Pioneer.
This is said in the Wikipedia entry for LNG Carrier.
According to SIGTTO data, in 2019 there were 154 LNG carriers on order, and 584 operating LNG carriers.
I don’t think capacity is a problem.
The Wikipedia entry also talks in detail about Cargo Handling and a Typical Cargo Cycle.
It is a very worthwhile read.
Wide Platforms On The Piccadilly Line Extension
As a child, I used to live on the Northern reaches of the Piccadilly Line.
- My family lived near Oakwood station.
- I used to have my hair cut in the barbers at Cockfosters station.
- My school was at Southgate station.
- My father’s print works was close to Wood Green station.
- I regularly brought shopping home from Marks & Spencer in Wood Green, by using Turnpike Lane station.
- I saw Eric Clapton, John Mayall and others at the Manor House pub by Manor House station.
Incidentally, I’ve never had much to do with Arnos Grove or Bounds Green stations.
Perhaps because in those days of the 1950s, I rarely used other lines, I didn’t notice the wider platforms of the extension, which opened in 1933.
The Wikipedia entry for the Piccadilly Line, says this.
Platforms 400 ft (120 m) long were originally planned for each station to fit 8-car trains, but were cut short to 385 ft (117 m) when built. Some stations were also built with wider platform tunnels to cater to expected high patronage.
Perhaps, that explains the wider platforms at Turnpike Lane and Manor House stations.
I suspect that Transport for London wish that the Victoria Line had been built to the same standards of the Piccadilly Line Extension of the 1930s.
LED Lights Illuminate London’s Elizabeth Line
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on E & T Magazine.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Using LEDs to light up the stations, escalator shafts and concourses of the Elizabeth line was a bold move from Transport for London; especially as when they decided on its use back in the late 2000s, LED technology was yet to break into the lighting world.
These points are also made in the article.
- The Elizabeth line is one of the first sub-surface infrastructure projects to be lit entirely by LEDs.
- The decision to use the technology was based on industry evidence that its use will help reduce energy consumption and maintenance requirements.
- The Crossrail team used the light-grey, matt-textured, glass-reinforced concrete lining of the station and escalator tunnels to reflect light onto the passenger areas.
- The main lighting and the emergency lighting are incorporated in the wayfinding totems.
The article certainly explains how the excellent lighting was designed.
These pictures show some of the LED lighting on the Elizabeth Line.
Note that uplighters on the Underground are not new, as these pictures from Turnpike Lane station show.
They were installed in the 1930s and were also used on the Moscow Metro, where London Transport installed the escalators.
Lighting Can Calm Passengers
This is a paragraph from the article.
Both Kerrigan and Clements agree that the lighting infrastructure makes the Elizabeth line unique to all its predecessors seen across the London Underground and that they have met their goal to create a soothing environment to enhance the passenger experience. “We wanted to create a relaxed commuting environment that is the opposite to the poorly lit and cramped environment of the Central line, for example,” Clements admits. “And we believe that the lighting has a massive amount to do with this.”
Does this explain why passengers seem generally calm?
Safety Message Clear As Leven Work Ramps Up
The title of this post, is the same as that if this press release from Network Rail.
The press release has a positive tone and indicates.
- Track is starting to be laid at the Thornton end and this track will be used to help build the Levenmouth Rail Link.
- The connection to the main line at Thornton is complete.
- Safety is emphasised.
- Planning permission for the two stations should be submitted this year.
- The programme is scheduled to complete in Spring 2024.
As it is not much larger than the Okehampton scheme, which Network Rail delivered so well, I would feel that date is feasible.
Rivalry With The Northumberland Line
The Wikipedia entry for the Northumberland Line says this about the line.
The Northumberland Line is a planned passenger rail route connecting the city of Newcastle upon Tyne with Ashington, Blyth and south-east Northumberland. The route of the line uses part of the larger Blyth and Tyne Railway, a network of lines that cover south-east Northumberland. Construction of stations is planned for the summer of 2022, with the opening of the line for passenger services planned for December 2023.
Note, that both projects are planned to be completed within a few months.
Will there be an Anglo-Scottish rivalry, perhaps with pipers on both sides?
The Australian Tycoon With Designs On U.S. Coal Mines
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on Politico.
The article is a must-read, as it is an interview with Andrew Forrest about his very strong views on the future of the coal industry in the United States.
This is a typical question from the interview and Forrest’s forthright answer.
Biden put jobs at the center of his climate messaging. Does the messenger actually need to be someone with a track record of creating jobs?
It’s a bloody good point. I think I can deliver that message much stronger, because I’m not a politician. I’m not looking for votes, this is the hardcore reality.
Boson Energy To Use Nonrecyclable Trash To Make Carbon-Negative Hydrogen
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
This is the first paragraph.
Boson Energy, an Israeli-Swedish-Polish startup is preparing to move ahead with a form of carbon-negative hydrogen production using nonrecyclable garbage.
It is worth reading the Boson Energy web site.
The Anonymous Widower 